Beet-harvester.



J A. FANGER.

BRET HARVESTER.

APPLIQATION FILED AUG.*27, 1912.

. 1 Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. A. FANGER. BERT HARVESTEB. 1 v I nrmomzox FILED 1.110.21, 1912. V Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. A. FANGER.

BRET HARVESTER.

. 1 APPLICATION FILED 11%.27, 1912. 1 1 072,218, PatGIItBd'SGptVZ, 1913. a v 4 SHEETS-SHEET s.

5] m-uewlior wi tueoozo APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 27, 1912.

J.A.FANGER.

BEET HAEVESTER.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

. :4 SHEETS-SHEET 4f JQE'N. A IARGEB. 6i!" KALIDK, OHIO.

nnm -nenvnsmn s im-aim o1- restaurateur.

Patented Sept. 2, 1.913.

Application filed August 27, 1912'. Serial in, 717,229. I

ping the same and conveying the toppedbeets to a receptacle, such as thebox or body of a wagon accompanying the her-- vester. Y Y

The principal ob eet of'the' resent 1nvent-ion is to produce simple an improved mechanism for lifting the beet and'for topping the some, said mech'anism'being constructed and mounted in such a manner as to be capable of being efi'ectively utilized for the purpose desired.

A -further object of the invention is to simplify and improve the general construction and assemblage of parts constituting the improved machine. I

lfith these and other ends in View which will ieadily appear as thenature of the im vention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of par-ts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

I i-"the accompanying drawings has been iltiistrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood on the line 8-8 in Fig.

that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein ex-v hibited, but that changes; alterations and modifications within'the scope oi the claims may be resortcdto when desired.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top lan view of a machine constructed lIItLCCOI". ance Fig. 2 is a side elevai,

with the invention. tion. partly in section of the improved machine. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional 4 a sectional detail view taken on the line 4-4- in Fig. 3. tional view taken on the line 5- -5 in Fig. 1. Fig. .6 is a trai'xsverse sectional View taken on the line G--6 in Fig. 1. Fig. Tis a sectional detail view taken on the line 77 in Fig. 4;. and showing a beet in position to be topped. Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken Fig. 9 is a de- 16', bosters 17,18

Fig. 5 is a transverse sec on lan view of a portion of the link belt. Fig. 10. is e'sectional .detail view taken on the line 10-10 in -Fig .'.3.

Corresponding arts ,in the several figures are denoted y like characters of referenc'e.

The frame A of the improved'machine' is' sup orted on front and rear axles 15, utilized to raise the frame to the desired eight. The front axle is provided with steering wheels 19,

the same being journaled on spindles 20 which are connected with the axle by knuckle joints 21', said spindles being provided with forwardly extending arms 22 which are connected by means of links 23 with a suitably supported rack bar 24, said rack'bar being engaged by a pinion 25 mounted on a steering rod 26 having a' hand wheel 27 which constitutes the steering wheel and which is located in convenient proximity to the driver whose seat 28 is suitably supported on the frame;

Pivotally supported bn the rear axle 16 is a frame or casing 13' which supports and contains the principal operating parts or members of the improved device. Each of the side members 29of the cas'in B has on its inner face and aldjacent'to it's ower edge a housing 30, adjacent to the front, end of which isjnounted a digger blade 3-1, said digger blades being of wedge or chisel-shape so as to dig into the ground in a manner which will be readily understood, the two.

blades cooperating to engage a beet root which by l. e-jointaction of said blades; will be liftedovqer their i clined. surfaces and thus vpartly?" extracte from the ground. The side 29 are provided at their front edges with pIalie f 2 onstituting r' ht 'and' left moldgli rds-by the'action 0 which a considerablefnirtion of the the ivillbe moved .to be hereinafter described, whereby said conveyers' are positively driven. The screw conveyers 33 are tapered in a forward direction to admit of theready entrancepfa beet r'0ot therebetween, the function" of said sorews being to elevate or extract the beat gradually from the-ground, and the. screw conveyers being with this end in view supported in an inclined positi'omas shown. The frame or casing B is rovided near its front end with arms or which is pivotally connected a yoke 37, with which the lower end of a screw threaded rod 38 is connected. The upwardly eXtended end of said rod is guided through an upright frame 39, and said screw; threaded rod is provided with an internally threaded sleeve or nut 40 having a bevel gear 41, the same being supported on a cross bar 42 of the frame 39. A shaft 43 which is supported for rotation. in one side member of the frame 39 carries at one end a bevel pinion 44 mesh- -.ing with the bevel gear 41., and at the other end a crank 45,. whereby it maybe rotated for the purpose of rotating the sleeve or nut 40, thereby raising or lowering .the front end of the frame or casing B. It will be seen that by this simple means,- the front end of the frame may be raised above or lowered into engagement with the ground; the depth of operation of the blades or diggers may be gaged and regulated, and the screw conveyors will be maintained at the proper inclination.

Pivotallysupported near the front end of the frame creasing B, on the side members pivoted roller carrying arms. A shaft 52 i' which issupported for rotation in the side members of the frame B near the rear end of the latter is provided with sprocket wheels 53. A link belt 54 is guided over the sprocket wheels 53 and over the roller 48, said link belt constituting an endless eonveyer. The upper lead of said conveyor is deflected upwardly and guided over rollers 55 on rods 56, said rollers and rods serving also to connect and to 's ace the side members of the frame. The link belt 54 is preferably constructed in such a manner as to be flexible transversely as well as longi tudinally, and with this end in view the belt is preferably composed of flexibly connected links placed side by side as well .as end to 'endfas will be clearly seen in Fig. 9 of the drawings. '11; is desired to be understood,

however, that no limitation isintended .to be unade to'the special form of link belt shown suitable construction may be used. A form in thisfigure, as a flexible endless conveyor of leather or textile material and of any of link belt as illustrated in Fig. 9 is, however, deeuicd particularly serviceable in this machine, since when sub ected to the pressure of a beet, it will have a tendency to beracket's 36 With come cupped around the head of the'beet.

root which will thus be gripped and positively conveyed or carried. in a very positive and satisfactory manner.

The conveyor or link belt is provided at suitable intervals with teeth or prongs 57 which will penetrate thetops of the beet roots and assist in )ositively carrying the same asv well as in he ding such roots nearly upright while being conveyed in a rearward direction.

The side members 29 of the casing B are provided each with a lurality'of slots 58 wherein are fitted slidable bearing members 59 supporting the journals of rollers 60 that extend transversely through the casing. The bearing members 59 are provided with upwardly extending rodsfil guided through flanges 62 on the side members of the casing, said bearing members being forced downwardly in the directionof the lower. 1 ends of. the slots 58 by the action of springs 63 that are coiled about the rods 61 between lead of the conveyer 54, and the rollers 55 over which the upper lead of said conveyer is deflected and guided are preferably-positioned above the upper ends of the slots 58,

as will be clearly seen in Fig. 3, thus keeping said upper lead entirely out of the path of the rollers 60 when the latter are forced upwardly duringthe operation ofthe machine, as will presently appear.

The side members 29 of the casingll are provided on their inner faces with groovesor recesses 64 to accommodate the checks or side members 65 of the knife carrier 66 which is slidably mountedin said grooves or recesses. The carrier, which supports the knife or cutter 67 for topping the beets. provided with a cross bar 68 extending transversely across the front portion of the topping knife, said cross bar being rounded on "its underside so as to present no obstruction to the passage of the conveyor The knife carrier is also provided on its. upper side with longitudinally disposed flanges (35) over which the lower lead of the conveyor 54 is guided, said flanges being sufliciently spaced apart to admit between them the teeth or prongs 57 which are mounted only on the central portion of the link belt or conveyer where they will be sure to engage the beet roots. The guide flanges 69 are suiliciently high to carry the teeth 57 over the knife and the knife carrierwithout contacting therewith. It will be noticed particularly with reference to'Fig. 3'thatthe knife carrier is positioned directly over the rear ends of the spiral conveyor rolls 83. and that the rollers 60 extend transversely across the greater portion of the length of said I spiral rolls.

Hingedly connected with the knife car- I the machine and over which 'the beet tops are dragged or guided until they are per-i mittedto drop nponthe ground ,over the rear edge of saidapron. The latter is loosely supported, intermediate its front and I noted that the said T0115 33 must be timed to rier, at the rear edge thereof, is an apron 7 0" that extends rearward-1y to the tail end of rear ends on a cross bar 7 1. Supported transversely ported by braces v 78 connected with frame of the machine. v

a clutch member 81 formed on the hub of a sprocket wheel 82 which is slida-bly mounted on the rear axle, said sprocket wheel being normally forced in the direction of the clutch member 80 by the action of a suitable spring 83, thereby causing the clutch members 81 and 82 to be normally held in engagementwith each other,and thus causing the sprocket wheel 82 to berotated by the wheel 79 when the machine is in operation.

' A shipping lever 84 is provided whereby desired.

tfheclutch may be thrown out of gear when 85 is a counter shaft having a sprocket wheel '86 which is connected with the sprocket wheel 82 by a chain 87. Loosely mounted on the counter shaft 85 are bevel pinions 88, 88, either one of which may be engaged by a clutch member 89 actuated by a hand lever 90 for the purpose of transmittin rotary motion in either direction to a beve gear 91 on a longitudinal shaft 92. It will be understood that suitable means may be employed for the purpose of locking the hand lever 90 in adjusted position, thus permitting the clutch 89 to be held in engagement with either one of the wheels 88- or 88, or in an intermediate idle position,

and thus endbling rotary motion in any desired direction to be transmitted to the shaft 92, and enabling said shaft to remain stationary when desired. For the purpose of actuating the shipping lever 84 a rock shaft 93 is provided, said rock shaft'having at one end a crank 94 connected with the shipping lever and at the other end a handle 95 whereby it may be actuated,

The counter shaft 85 carries a sprocket wheel 96 which is connected by a chain 97 with a sprocket wheel 98 on a shaft 99" which is supported near the lower rear cor-1 nor of the casing B and from which motion is transmitted by a chain 100 to the shaft 52 bel-owthe frame 'of the machine, in front of the rear wheels i and in rear of and -:directly below the top- 5 ping knife is a -"cbnveyer "trough 'orgcas'i'ng '72, at the ends of "vvhich'rare supported roll-' ers 7 3 over which'an endless conveyer 74i-s' guided. Hingedly connected with the ends of the tiough '72 are elevator casings 7 5 at the ends of which are supported rollers 76 over which conveyers 77are guided. The free ends of'the elevator prongs are sup the operate at pro er speed with respect to the conveyor or lin' belt '54 so that during each rota-tio'n of the rolls the conveyer will travel. a distance equalito the distance between two proximate convolutio-ns-of the spiral thread of said-rolls, thus causing the, beet root engaged by the rolls tobe "-nwved upwardly the rolls and the conveyer. Motion transmitted to the conveyers '74 and 77 from the ion itudina-l shaft 92 by means of suitable chain gearing 104 which need not be described in detail, it being understood, however, that the direction of movement of the conveyers may be reversed by means of the clutch 89 operated by the 'lever90 which governs the direction of rotation of the shaft 92. A clearing roller or cylinder 105 having teeth or spikes 106 is supported in the frame or casing B directly in rear of the shaft 52 from which it receives motion by meansof a chain 107. v

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed, the operation and advantages of the improved machine will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains. As the machine advances over the field, the row of beets is straddled thereby, and the beet roots will be engaged by the diggers 31 which enter the ground beneath the large portion of the root, causing the latter tobe bodily lifted over the inclined planes of the diggers, the surplus dirt excavated by said diggers being disposed of laterally by the mold boards 32. The beet root is presently engaged by the spirally grooved rolls 33 which, being supported in an upwardly and rearwardly inclined position will tend to lift and extractthe beet from the ground without bruising the same. At the same time the top of the beet be comes engaged by one of the teeth 57 of the link belt or conveyer 54. which serves to move'the beet in. a rearward direction, the flexible nature of said link belt or conveyer causing it to become cupped around the top of the beet root. -The upward pressure of the beet root will deflectthe lower lead-of the link belt or conveyer in an upward direction when it becomes subject to the pressure of the rollers 60, whereby the beet rootwill be maintained firmly seated upon the spiral rolls 33 while traveling in an upward and rearward direction. As the beet root approaches the topping knife, the upward pressure of the lower lead of the conveyer and rearwardly by the congomt action of 'wardly to the proper position for topping cylinder 105.

' wardly with respect to the lower lead of the the beet, the topping operation being performed while the beet root is" still firmly seated and supported upon the spiral rolls. As soon as the top has been removed the beet 'root, leaving the rolls 33, will drop into the conveyer trough 72, passing from' thence to one of the elevators at-ei'ther side of the machine, according to'the direction in which the shaft 92 that actnates the con- 'veying mechanism is beingrotated. The

tops are dragged rearwardly over the apron 70 which, being connected with the knife carrier, will adapt itself to any position of the latter, and the tops are eventually discharged over the rear edge of said apron by the action of the spiked clearing roll or As will be' seen from the foregoing, the improved beet harvester is simple in construction, and it contains few parts that require to be attended to and manipulated by the operator, tl'ie'machine being essentially" automatic in its operation.

While a machine has been shown adapted to operate on a single row of beets only, it is to be understood that. a machine may be readily constructed, embodying the principles of theinvention that will be adapted to operate simultaneously on two or more rows.

For the purpose of disposing of the surplus dirt excavated by the machine, scrapers 109 have been provided that will serve to return the dirt to the furrow from which it' has been excavated, thus preventing the topped beets from dropping into the furrow.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. In a beet harvester, an adjustably supported casing having side members, twin angers supported for rotation in the casing, an endless conveyer supported in the casing with its'lower lead spaced above and cooperating with the angers, and resiliently supported rollers mounted between the leads of the endless conveyer' and operating clownconveyer.v 1

2. In ajbeet harvester, pivotally and adjustably supported casing ha'ving side members, twinaugers supported for rotation in the casing, diggers associated' with the side members of the casing, an endless eonveyer spaced above and cooperating with the angers, resiliently supported rollers mounted above the lower lead of the conveyer, a knife carrier supported for slidable'movement substantially at right angles to the endless conveyer and having a -cross bar positioned above the lower lead of the conveyer, and a topping knife supported by the carrier and positioned below t e lower lead of the conveyer. Y

3. In a beet harvester, an-adjustably supportedcasing, means including an endless conveyer for carrying beet roots lengthwise therethrough, said endless conveyer belng provided at intervals with teeth to engage the tops of the beet roots, a slidably supported knife carrier having across bar positioned above the lower" ead of the conveyer, a topping knife supported by the carrier and positioned below the lower lead of v across the lower lead of the endless conveyer, an apronconnected hingedly with the knife carrier, and extending rearwardly be neath the lower conveyer lead, and means for supporting the apron intermediate its front and rear ends. I 5.. In a beet harvester, an adjustably sup ported casing having side members,diggers associated with the side members, arms connected pivotally with the side members and extending forwardly thereof, a spring pressed roller supported by saidarms, twin angers supported adjacent to the inner faces of the side members of the casing, an end-y less fiexible conveyer extending lengthwise through the casing and" guided over the 1 .of-the twin angers, and means for driving the conveyor and the twin angers.

' In testimony whereofI aflixmy signature"- in presence of two witnesses. I

I JOHN A. FANGER. Witnesses;

H. Ansnnnnr, FRANK MILLER.

copies of this patent may lie obtained for-five cnts each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents.

, v Washington, D. 0." 

